Multi-family building

By using natural driving forces, hybrid ventilation systems reduce fan energy consumption in buildings. They are of increasing interest as they help to improve buildings energy efficiency while ensuring good indoor environmental quality. However, the performance of these systems is variable and dependent on climatic conditions. Besides, the plurality of openings, variable airflows, and unstable flow patterns make the measurement of the performance of natural or hybrid ventilation systems a challenging task.

The paper presents airtightness measurements results of the multi-family building. The tests were carried out in several ways, the results obtained by different methods were compared and the likely reasons for the discrepancy of results were indicated. The object of measurements was a six storey building with 47 dwellings equipped with natural ventilation. Air inlet to the rooms through the window trickle vents controlled by relative humidity of air. Air is extracted through vertical extract ducts made of ceramic blocks.

Regular maintenance, such as the cleaning of filters, is important for the efficient operation ofresidential ventilation systems. The main objective of this study is to investigate effect of regularmaintenance on fan energy use and ventilation performance by using a test dwelling employingbalanced ventilation system. Experimental tests were directed with simulating the decrease of the airflow rates on terminals. Without cleaning, SFP based on the net air flow rate can indicate by 2.7 times compared with cleaned system.